Other shows currently in D.C.

I went to college six hours south of Chicago, which may not be very impressive, but it does mean I used to visit the windy city often. Since I don't know the world unless through art my normal routine included a day at the Art Institute of Chicago and there, near the back of the museum, next to "American Gothic" by Grant Wood, was Edward Hoppers "Nighthawks." That icon of Americana next to the icon of America was a big deal for me back in the day. As time went on I was always told to study Hopper and look for his subtleties and his complexities but I was never quite sold.

There is a Hopper show going on at the NGA right now. For some reason it is the most popular thing going, I had to stand in line for 30 minuets to see the show and even then there was not a place to view paintings that didn't contain shoulders, bad breath, and the spawn of Satan running across your feet and whining about crackers. I saw the paintings, yeah, there were a lot of important Hopper paintings. And I did learn a bunch about his style and all, but, I didn't see what the fuss was about. I think there are many other painters far better than Hopper; in fact I don't like his style much at all. He was very heavy handed and it seems to me that everything in one of his paintings is just a prop for a color representing light.

He painted light as a thing, which doesn't really excite me like it does other people. I don't like it enough to ever go to another crowded show of his again. If you go to D.C. this holiday break and don't see much of a line in the East wing than go for it. You may have more of a chance at enjoyment. I did not enjoy the show because I hardly got to see the show unmolested by distractions. And it seems to me that Hopper wanted a certain amount of meditation on the part of the viewer when looking at his light.

Morris Louis,

The Morris Louis show at the Hirshhorn was a show that I highly anticipated. I like everything about this guy and the way he paints. I don't mind that he ripped off Helen Frankenthalers method of staining a canvas, artists are always ripping each other off. He made paintings that were visually unique and interesting to look at, and they look dated, they look like they could have only been made in the 50's and 60's.

One of the coolest things about looking at a Morris Louis is that they appear to change color the longer you look at them. And if you are sitting in a room where each wall is covered by a giant painting and you look back and forth they all seem to change colors as your eyes adjust. In one room we sat staring into the middle of the giant canvases until all the colors turned black. And I really enjoy the ultra soft, almost non-existent edges.

The best part about seeing this show was that everyone else who was interested in looking at art was over at the Ed Hopper show. I was able to have whole galleries to myself, I would sit on the sofa in each large room and spend a few minuets with each painting. It was cool.

In addition to the Morris Louis show there was a show based on works that incorporated light that the Hirshhorn owned. For example, I had no idea that they owned a James Turrell piece. I would have made the trip just to see that one piece had I known about it before, luckily for me it was just a perk on this trip. There was also the transfixing Olafur Eliasson piece which is a spinning circular prism with a beam of light hitting it. It may be a touch theatrical but it is great to watch for a while. This show seemed to fit very nicely with the Louis show and provided a great museum experience. The Hirsh's stock points just keep going up for me. There is also a recent acquisition section in the lower galleries which I think is pretty fun. There are some works I agree with and some I don't and that is a good thing. I think there shows will be up for a little while longer - vet's day is coming up soon (hint hint) - it is a worthy 2 hour trip from Harrisburg.

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